Saṃhāra-krama (The Sequence of Cosmic Dissolution) — Yājñavalkya’s Discourse
तमश्न कष्ट सुमहद् रजश्न सत्त्वं विशुद्ध प्रकृति परां च । सिद्धि च देवीं वरुणस्य पत्नीं तेजश्न कृत्स्नं सुमहच्च धैर्यम्
bhīṣma uvāca | tamaś ca kaṣṭaṃ sumahad rajaś ca sattvaṃ viśuddhaṃ prakṛtiṃ parāṃ ca | siddhiṃ ca devīṃ varuṇasya patnīṃ tejaś ca kṛtsnaṃ sumahac ca dhairyam ||
Wika ni Bhishma: “(Maaaring pumasok ang yogin) sa mabagsik at mapaniil na Kadiliman (tamas), sa makapangyarihang Puwersa ng Pagnanasa at Pagkilos (rajas), at sa dalisay na Kaliwanagan (sattva); maaari rin siyang pumasok sa kataas-taasang Prakriti mismo; maaari siyang pumasok sa diyosang Siddhi, kabiyak ni Varuna; at maaari siyang pumasok sa kabuuan ng ningning at sa dakilang katatagan. Kaya ang dakilang kaluluwang ganap sa yoga, kung nanaisin, ay agad na lumalaya at nakakamit ang anyo ng kataas-taasang Brahman; o, sa lakas ng yoga, maaari niyang marating ang bawat isa sa mga prinsipyong kosmiko at banal na kalagayang ito at pumasok sa loob ng mga iyon.”
भीष्म उवाच
A yogin perfected in yoga can, by will and yogic power, transcend ordinary embodiment: either attain immediate liberation and realize the supreme Brahman, or deliberately enter various cosmic principles (the guṇas, Prakriti) and divine powers (such as Siddhi), showing mastery over the constituents of nature rather than being bound by them.
In Shanti Parva’s instruction on liberation and yogic attainment, Bhishma continues his discourse to Yudhishthira, listing the cosmic principles and divine stations that an accomplished yogin can reach and ‘enter,’ emphasizing the extraordinary scope of yogic mastery alongside the higher option of final liberation.